Fashion and Decor

As I was browsing Pinterest, I saw this adorable DIY for flannel coasters.Now anyone who knows me knows the fall is where I am at my mental and emotional peak of happiness so I thought I would give this a try! All it requires is a piece of felt and two pieces of flannel and you have an adorable and festive coaster. Here is the link to the page where I found instructions. I found all my supplies at JoAnn fabrics! Enjoy! (P.S. The super cute owl mug was $2.98 at Walmart!!!)

You’re probably looking at this like hold up…ONLY $17?!?! Yes. I went to the mall tonight for Victoria’s Secret’s 7 for $27.50 sale (whoop whoop!) and came back with a little bit more than I thought I would. I first went to forever 21 and saw they were having a Buy One Get One Free Sale (whoop whoop x2!) and found these super cute Espadrilles for only $6.99. The “Get One Free” part was the purse and that was also $6.99! So a I spent a little more than $7 there. I then made my way to Icing which I love because they have cute trinkets and jewelry. These SUPER SOFT lounge pants and the “Whatever” mug are from there and guess for how much each…..$2!!!! I honestly do not know how I got both for two because the mug had a $5 sticker and the pants had a $12.75 sticker so I was pleasantly startled when she rang me up; especially since I have been eyeing this Clueless mug for about a year. Last but not least! The adorable long necklace from Earthbound Trading Co. It is like the long necklaces you can wrap around your neck as a choker and then leave a strand to hang down. I also got this for only $2! It was on clearance for $4.97 but everything was 30% off. Overall I’m super happy with my purchases and the deals I got! I’m always and advocate for sales and right now everyone is having end of season clearance deals! So even if you find no clothes you like, or if you don’t want to spend money on summer clothing, you might be able to fins some super cheap jewelry and accessories!

Hello again everyone! I found this adorable project on Pinterest a few months ago and just never really got around to making it until a few weeks ago! The one I saw used different confetti, a different desk organizer, no monogram, and different glue, but the idea was still the same. I am also very happy with how it turned out!

I went Target shopping with my BFF Mikia a few weeks ago because she wanted desk supplies before she went back to school and finally found the perfect organizer to used for this in the size I wanted! This was the top and bottom. Pretty boring right?

So I painted it white of course! Gotta keep with my room theme.

Then once my confetti came in (from Posie Project) and I got the glue I needed, I was set! The original post I found used a different mod podge glue but honestly any mod podge that says “gloss” will work fine.

After this I used one whole bottle and I was satisfied at first but realized it would be smoother with a second bottle. What did my impatient self do? Used my other bottle of mod podge instead of going to Walmart the next day for another of the bottle pictured (horrible idea because it legitimately took two weeks to dry).

(This was with one bottle)

(This was after bottle 2 so you can see why I was a bit concerned)

Waiting………

More waiting………

FINALLY THE FINISHED RESULT!

It does look better in person and the dark spots are just the gold pieces of confetti but I’m still super happy with how this turned out! Check it out on my Instagram (thecommonmandy). So excited to use it. Hope this inspired you to get crafty!

I had a request from my very best friend Mikia to do a tailgating outfit idea post! Now I myself am not a tailgater but I have seen many outfits posted from when people actually do! This is what I came up with. I chose this very cute romper from boohoo.com (linked) and I got it for only $10!!! It’s now $18 but totally worth the purchase. For a tailgate, I would choose a very comfortable dress/romper. You can wear it for the tailgate and game and still not feel gross. My sunglasses I actually purchased on River Street in Savannah for like $5 but there has to be similar dupes around whatever town you live. Sunglasses are also a must for tailgates. The sun will be beating down into your eyes basically the whole afternoon/evening and you don’t want to get a headache. My shoes. Now when I was browsing through Marshalls I never expected to find these beauties. THEY. ARE. SO. PERF. I got them for $27.00 on sale which is more than I normally choose to pay but I took it as a sign that they were exactly my size and purchased. Comfortable yet cute shoes are always a must for tailgates. I recommend a flat just because you’ll be standing a lot but a comfy wedge like this is always a must! Jewelry is always needed to tie together a look. I suggest buying a neutral gold or white necklace that can go with many outfits. That would be the most cost effective! My tassel necklace is from Forever 21 (similar linked) and my gold/pink necklace is from Charming Charlie (similar linked, almost identical!)! The number one thing that will make your tailgate outfit perfect is making sure it includes your school colors (GA Southern REPRESENNNNT)! I hope this helped you get some ideas!

Well even though Augusta is still averaging in the high 90s temperature wise; however, the stores don’t care! For them it is already fall time, but who wants to spend a ton of money on a whole new fall wardrobe (well me but who can afford it is the question)? Here is how I changed this one summery outfit into a fall one!

First thing you can do is take all your crop tops and KEEP THEM in your closet. Crop tops are perfect for the fall because they can be worn with high-waisted jeans. I used this crop top from American Eagle (that is super soft btw).

The next item that is perfect for the transfer of seasons is huarache sandals! I actually bought these today at American Eagle. I found them on Clearance for $12.99. They are perfect because they slightly encase your foot incase there’s a brisk breeze.

The last item that I will talk about is the jacket! As we transition to fall, the summer nights become a little cooler and a lightweight military jacket is the way to go. I altered this one to make it fit my style a little better! I took an old skirt that I purchased at Uptown Cheapskate for around $3 and made some cute cuffs. This jacket used to be my grandmother’s before she passed away and her style truly does transcend time.

Hope you enjoyed this post and I hope it helped you think of some new ideas to change over your wardrobe.

You’re probably thinking, “wow, another off the shoulder post?” I can’t help it! I love off the shoulder items. So when I saw the picture above I knew I had to try this. It was so easy! All I did was go to Goodwill and find a men’s button up (preferably very large since this will be a dress), bring it home, and stitch! I found one that was more blue than this but I still liked it. It cost $3.85 at a local Goodwill. To start, you just cut across the top of the shirt cutting off the neck and a bit of the shoulders. Next, you fold over the top fabric about and inch and then stitch around leaving a small gap at an end. The last step is to insert the elastic, stitch up the small gap you left, and then you’re finished! I decided to keep the collar and use it because I think it gives the look a little something extra. The shoes I’m wearing in the picture are from Macy’s and the bag is from Marshalls!

Now if you’re anything like me you LOVE succulents and cacti. I wanted a terrarium for so long and I finally made one last week and wanna know the most expensive part? Activated Charchol. Weird right? $21 for one bottle (I got a discount). But for just random casual succulents at home I cracked the code on getting them cheap! Walmart has some for less than $4 (depending on the size), but even the very large ones are around $5.50! This one I bought was $4.44 and then I got the pot for $.73 and the base for even less….my total? LESS THAN $7. I then painted the pot with some paints I had at home (they’re $.93 each at Walmart so even if you paint your pot it’s still under $10). So I hope this helped you if you ever wanted to get started! Large bags of potting soil are only about $4 each too if you don’t have any soil already. Thanks for reading!

Lately I have seen Pom Poms all over Fashion! Pom Pom sandals are all the rage but spending $50 on a pair? NO WAY. So I decided to make my own (the usual). I took an old pair of black flats that I don’t really wear anymore and added some Poms! I found the spools at Target in the dollar spot for $1 each and was ecstatic. I chose red, white, and yellow because they’re very versatile and great for the summer! I also used mod podge to keep them on the sandals. Hope you enjoy! Here’s some pictures and how to style them.

Three posts one week?! I know it seems like a lot but I’ve been taking the last few days to kind of find myself again in who I am, so that meant making/refashioning clothes! This dress was given to me by my boss at my job at Vintage Ooollee. She asked me if I wanted it to try and make it into something new and I said sure! I have seen ruffle tops all over in fashion lately so I decided to leave the whole ruffle up top. I did, however, cut the dress in half, hem it, and then add snaps to the back to make it its own entity! In my opinion, the whole thing was totally transformed and I couldn’t be happier. I paired this top with a floral skirt from Target, a small wallet bag from Charming Charlie, and adorable tie flats from Target. On a side note, tie flats are also one of my favorite trends of the spring/summer. They’re super cute and amp up any outfit to a bit more dressy.

Patterns, ruffles, and off-the-shoulder tops are all the rage and this shirt gives you all of the above! In relation to my Instagram post, I did get my shoes and top for about $10 total. How you might ask? Well that is my shopping secret. I was browsing through the clearance section at Target and I came across this beautiful top for about $7. I always go to Target’s clearance section because they have adorable clothes for a steal. The 70% off section generally has clothes for under $10 and that makes the finds even more special. The espadrilles I’m wearing are the big selling point on this outfit. I was shopping at TJ Maxx with my aunt and, as usual, went to the clearance shoe section. At TJ Maxx and similar retailers, the steals you can find on name brand shoes is amazing. I got these Sam Edleman’s for……wait for it……THREE DOLLARS. They were on triple clearance and I got super lucky. To this day my aunt still wonders how I am able to find steals like this. To let everyone know where I purchased the rest of my outfit I will list that next. The half leather leggings I purchased at New York & Co, my bag was purchased at Marshalls, and my necklace is from Charming Charlie. All of this combines to make a cute festival look or a cute look for a day on the town. Hope you enjoyed this post!